Milwaukee Police Detective Charged With Felony Misconduct In Public Office

Detective Gomez Jr. police powers were suspended in August during an internal investigation and has now been charged with one felony count of misconduct in public office in connection with the physical abuse of a murder suspect.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 31, 2013

Milwaukee, WI – On Thursday, Milwaukee Police Detective Rodolfo Gomez Jr., 46, was charged with one felony count of misconduct in public office, including excessive use authority. Gomez Jr. posted a $10,000 signature bond and if convicted, Gomez Jr. Is facing up to three and a half years in prison and $10,000 in fines. He is scheduled for a preliminary court hearing on November 12.
Gomez Jr. has been suspended with pay until the outcome of the case. He is accused of beating Deron Darnell Love on August 14, while handcuffed during an interrogation. Gomez Jr. was caught on video surveillance in the interrogation room punching Love in the upper body. Gomez Jr. was removed from the room by another officer who witnessed the beating. Gomez Jr. came back in with several Milwaukee County Sheriff deputies to move Love into another cell. Gomez Jr. is also seen grabbing Love’s head and bringing it down to knee him, according to the criminal complaint.
The Milwaukee Police Department referred Gomez Jr. to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office for prosecution after an internal investigation determined that Gomez Jr. violated department policy.
Love who was charged with two felony counts of homicide in the death of his 7-year-old son was taken to a hospital for treatment.
The suspect’s attorney had requested a copy of the video from the Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office, but his request was denied until the investigation was completed.

Rodolfo Gomez Jr.

Mexican National Andrade Tolentino Extradited To Chicago For Chávez Homicide

Tolentino was extradited to the U.S. from Mexico to face a 2000 homicide in Chicago.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 31, 2013

Chicago, Illinois – On Wednesday, murder suspect Raúl Andrade Tolentino, 42, originally from Morelia, Mexico was extradited to the U.S. to face a homicide charge for the January 7, 2000 stabbing death of his former girlfriend Alma Chávez, 19, of Chicago. Tolentino was escorted by two FBI agents on a flight from Mexico and when he arrived on Wednesday night at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, he was taken into custody by Chicago authorities. He is scheduled for a bond hearing on Thursday.
In 2000, Tolentino went to the Chávez home on Pilsen and fatally stabbed her multiple times. He then stabbed himself to conceal his crime. Police arrested Tolentino after confessing to killing Chávez. Family members posted a $20,000 bond and a month later Tolentino skipped a court appearance and fled to California where his mother lived. The FBI in California went to the mother’s address, but found that both Tolentino and his mother had returned to Mexico.
Years went by and Tolentino could not be located in Mexico. Benifacio Chávez, Alma’s father travelled multiple times to Mexico and in 2006, he was able to get reliable information that Tolentino had been living in Michoacan. Authorities couldn’t locate him and the case went cold again.
The U.S. Department of Justice had issued a warrant for Tolentino for flight to avoid prosecution. He was featured in America’s Most Wanted in 2012.
In 2008, the U.S. requested for the Mexican government to issue an arrest warrant for Tolentino.
The Chavezes later learned that Tolentino had moved to his hometown in Morelia, Michoacan where he was working at a local pizza parlor. Alma’s father later died and the case went cold once again.
In 2011, two Chicago Tribune reporters and a photographer went to Michoacan to follow up on information gathered from Alma’s father. They discovered that Tolentino had registered to vote in Michoacan and had also registered a truck with the state. With the latest information by the reporters, authorities in Michoacan began to search for Tolentino until last February, when he turned himself in to authorities.
Tolentino had been held in a federal prison in Hermosillo, Sonora awaiting extradition, according to the Chicago Tribune.
Tolentino knew authorities in Mexico were hot on his trail, but he moved from house to house, used assumed names and worked in odd jobs to elude police, according to authorities in Mexico.

Raúl Andrade Tolentino today, at age 28 and Alma Chávez

Arcos Alvarez From Veracruz Killed In Milwaukee Southside Crash

Arcos Alvarez lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a building killing him and sending a woman to the hospital.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 30, 2013

Milwaukee, WI – Last Saturday, Diego Isidro Arcos Alvarez, 23, was reported killed around 2:40 a.m. after losing control of his vehicle going eastbound, then crashed into La Carniceria Campesino southeast corner building and ruptured a gas line at the 600 block of W. Greenfield Ave., according to police. Firefighters had to open a door to the store to check for gas leaks inside.
Later someone broke into the store through the same door and stole a cash register. In another break in afterwards, someone attempted to take a safe from the same store, but failed, according to police. Police recovered video from Arcos Alvarez losing control of the vehicle from video surveillance cameras at the scene.
Police also have a suspect or suspects on video going into the store and an arrest is forthcoming.
Arcos Alvarez’s passenger, a woman survived and was taken to Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa.
Arcos Alvarez is originally from Maguellito, in the state of Veracruz and his body will be sent to Mexico once funds are collected to pay for the cost of transporting the body. Friends and family members placed donation boxes for Arcos Alvarez throughout local southside stores and at El Campesino store with a number to call for more information.
Arcos Alvarez’s wake and remembrance began on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. at the Church and Chapel Funeral Home at the 1800 of W. Becher St. Arcos Alvarez body is expected to be transported to Mexico by Saturday, according to Magdaleno Alvarez Olmedo, Diego’s uncle. Olmedo said, Diego had lived in Milwaukee for 8 years and is survived by friends and relatives in Milwaukee and Veracruz.
On Saturday in an unrelated accident, a homeless man known as Anthony “Tony” J. Judd, 45, was fatally hit by a westbound vehicle at the 900 block of W. Greenfield Ave. around 7:30 p.m., according to Ricco Lopez, a Block Watch Captain on S. 10th St. Tony was crossing from North to South on Greenfield Ave. when he was struck by the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle involved did not stop after striking Tony, Lopez said.
Tony was known by many local residents as a man who would say hello and a punch line of “Hey amigo, do you have 25 cents.”

Diego Isidro Arcos Alvarez

Photos: HNG

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Hernández Pérez, A DREAM 30 Member Deported to Mexico

Pérez was deported to Mexico City on Tuesday morning while twelve were released just after 7:00 p.m.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 30, 2013

El Paso, Texas – On Tuesday, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed Rocio Hernández Pérez, 23, from the U.S. She was flown to Mexico City in the morning and released. Pérez is originally from Veracruz.
She was taken into custody by ICE on September 30 at the Laredo, Texas border crossing and ICE checkpoint. Pérez was among 34 undocumented immigrants who decided to voluntarily return to Mexico and then attempt to reenter the U.S. and ask for asylum. Their attempt to reenter the U.S. failed and they were transferred to an El Paso ICE processing detention center for deportation proceedings. Nine were later released by ICE.
Only 25 of the DREAM 30 filed for asylum under “credible fear” including Pérez who was brought to the U.S. when she was four and lived in North Carolina. ICE denied her asylum claim and was ordered by an immigration judge to be removed. ICE would not release any information why Pérez was denied asylum.
So far, ICE has approved 17 of the DREAM 30 members and seven have been denied asylum including Pérez. The rest of the DREAM 30 group are waiting the same fate, but 13 who remained in detention have continued their hunger strike. ICE attempted to order doctors at the facility to force feed them, but doctors have refused ICE’s request, according to family members.
Pérez and the rest of the group were protesting the broken national immigration system and were demanding immigration reform.
The following twelve members of the DREAM 30 were released just after 7:00 p.m.on Tuesday. They were identified as Raul Juarez of New York; Edna Flores of Arizona; Israel Rodriguez of North Carolina; Giselle Gomez of South Carolina; Jesus Gutierrez of Pennsylvania; Marco Pacheco of Texas; Leonardo Contreras of New York; Pablo Vivas of California; Lorena Vargas of Arizona, Marcela Espinoza of Illinois; Sandra Paloma of California and Vidal Francisco of Arizona.
Also Erika Isaura Guzman Mata was facing deportation after she was denied asylum as Pérez, but an immigration judge overturned that decision and is awaiting her release.

Rocio Hernández Pérez

EQUINOX In Kenosha Removes McDowell’s Photo From Website

McDowell no longer featured in the EQUINOX Body and Soul Boutique website as a License Massage Therapist. He was charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 29, 2013

Kenosha, WI – On Tuesday, Matthew McDowell’s photo and brief statement of his work has been removed from the EQUINOX Body and Soul Boutique website where he worked. McDowell, 40, of Kenosha was featured in the EQUINOX website as a License Massage Therapist.
McDowell was charged on Tuesday with one count for first-degree intentional homicide, one count for hiding a corpse and a $350,000 bail was set. He is scheduled to appear at a Kenosha County court on November 5 for further proceedings.
He was arrested on Sunday after turning himself to Kenosha police and confessing that he accidentally killed Erin Ziemendorf, 30, of West Allis. Ziemendorf’s body was discovered on Sunday at 6:25 p.m. by Chicago police near a Greyhound station at the 500 block of South Jefferson St. Her body was found inside the trunk of her Silver 2004 Grand Prix with Wisconsin license plates in a public parking lot.
McDowell told police that he got into a heated argument with Ziemendorf and he accidentally killed her. He then drove her vehicle to Chicago with the victim’s body in the trunk. McDowell left Ziemendorf’s auto near a Greyhound station and then took a train back to Kenosha where he decided to turn himself to police.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled Ziemendorf’s death a homicide by blunt-force trauma to her neck from an assault.

Erin Ziemendorf and Matthew McDowell

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40-year-old McDowell Facing Charges For Ziemendorf’s Homicide

Ziemendorf’s body was found in a trunk of a vehicle near a Chicago Greyhound station.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 28, 2013

Kenosha, WI – Police in Kenosha have arrested Matthew McDowell, 40, of Kenosha in connection with the homicide of Erin Ziemendorf, 30, of West Allis whose body was discovered on Sunday at 6:25 p.m. by Chicago police near a Greyhound station at the 500 block of South Jefferson St. Ziemendorf’s body was found inside a trunk of a grey vehicle with Wisconsin license plates.
Ziemendorf was pronounced death at 7:25 p.m., according to the Cook County medical examiner’s office. The cause of death was ruled a homicide by blunt forced trauma to her neck during an assault.
McDowell confessed to Kenosha police that both he and Ziemendorf had gotten into a heated fight and he accidentally killed her. He then drove to Chicago and left the vehicle near a Greyhound station with her body in the trunk. McDowell then took a train back to Kenosha where he turned himself to police.
McDowell who had been dating the victim for over a year and a half is now facing homicide charges and attempting to hide a corpse.
McDowell works as a License Massage Therapist at the EQUINOX Body and Soul Boutique in Kenosha, according to its website.

Erin Ziemendorf and Matthew McDowell

Grall Charged For Battery Including A Hate Crime After Punching Two Men For Speaking Spanish

Police say Grall punched two men for what he thought they were speaking Spanish, but they were actually talking in Hebrew.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 28, 2013

Madison, WI – On early Saturday, Dylan T. Grall, 23, of Janesville was taken into custody and charged with two counts of battery, including two hate crime enhancers for punching two men speaking in Hebrew, the Channel3000 dot com reported. Grall noticed the men around 2:19 a.m. speaking a foreign language at the 200 block of N. Henry St. and ordered them to speak in English. He then sucker punched both men.
Grall admitted to police that he demanded for the men to talk in English, but denied that he ever punched them. One man suffered a swollen eye (black eye) and the other was just knocked to the ground.
Grall told police that he thought the victims were talking in Spanish, but the men were actually speaking in Hebrew, according to the criminal complaint.
A witness who saw the attack, told police that Grall did in fact punched both men. Police did not say, if Grall was intoxicated at the time of the incident.

Dylan T. Grall

Chen Charged For Butchering Brooklyn Family Over Jealousy Of Life Style

NYC police say, suspect confessed to butchering his cousin’s wife and four children with knife on late Saturday over his jealousy of their life style.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 28, 2013

Brooklyn, New York – On Sunday, Ming Dong Chen, 25, an immigrant from China who only speaks Mandarin was charged with five felony counts of first-degree murder for the brutal stabbing deaths of Qiao Zhen Li, 37, and her children, Linda Zhuo, 9; Amy Zhuo, 7; Kevin Zhuo, 5; and William Zhuo, 1, were fatally stabbed at their Sunset Park duplex. Two of the victims, Zen Li and Kevin were transported to a nearby hospital, but both were pronounced dead on arrival. Linda, Amy and William were found in a bedroom and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Chen through a Mandarin translator confessed to police that he became jealous of his cousin’s family because they were doing well in America and he was not. He was temporarily staying with his cousin’s family for a week when on Saturday just before 11:00 p.m. Chen acting on his jealousy impluse got a butcher cleaver (machete type) and slaughtered the entire family. He had been in the U.S. for ten years and wasn’t happy that everyone that he knew were doing better than he was. Chen had lost several jobs and couldn’t hold a steady job for more than several weeks, family members told media outlets. He was staying with family members that would take him until he got a job.
Zen Li’s husband had told Chen that he had to leave their house and could no longer support him. Chen reacted after his cousin went to work and killed Zen Li and her children, according to police.
Chen’s cousin who is the father of the children was at work when his family was butchered to death. He came home on early Sunday to find police investigators at his home.
Several relatives who came to check on Zen Li on late Saturday saw Chen with blood on his clothes when he answered the door. The relatives didn’t know Chen, so they fled from the area in horror and immediately call police. Several detectives nearby responded to the scene and took Chen into custody after resisting arrest. The detectives soon discovered the grizzly homicides inside the two floor home. The bodies, which showed multiple stab wounds to the chest, necks and other parts of the body were found in a bedroom and the kitchen.

Ming Dong Chen

GOP Expects Rodriguez To Become First Wisconsin Republican Hispanic Woman Elected To State Assembly

Rodriguez draws criticism in the Republican Party of WI Facebook page.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 27, 2013

Madison, WI – Last Tuesday, the Republican Party of Wisconsin in its Facebook page (FB) congratulated Jessie Rodriguez (R) of Franklin who survived a primary special election in the 21st Assembly District with 48% of the vote beating four other GOP members seeking the Republican nomination. The GOP in Wisconsin says, if Rodriguez wins the November general election, she will be the first Republican Latina elected to the State Assembly and the third Hispanic elected to the lower chamber. Rodriguez was born in El Salvador and came to the U.S. in 1984 with her parents who were fleeing from the civil war, according to her website “Jessie for Assembly” dot com. Jessie is just a nickname to appeal to local voters in her run to be elected, but her real name is Yesenia Eldermira Rodriguez. Yesenia’s name is never discussed in public, according to critics.
She believes that “partisan politics has been counter productive,” which she might become a crucial swing vote in upcoming major issues with Democrats if elected. She also believes that Wisconsin “is moving in the right direction” in job creation, despite Wisconsin falling behind in job creation compared to other states around Wisconsin.
Rodriguez doesn’t mention much about immigration reform or if she supports bilingual education, allowing undocumented immigrants in the state to get driver licenses and if instate tuition should be allowed for state DREAMers.
She is currently working as an Outreach Director for a non-profit organization call “Hispanics for School Choice.”
Jessie is married to Aaron Rodriguez, who administrates the controversial “Hispanic Conservative” blog and is currently a Racine firefighter. Some of Aaron’s posted articles on immigration reform and other issues affecting Wisconsin’s Hispanic growing population and economic growth including political influence are deemed as anti-immigrant bashing, according to some local immigration reform activists in the state. Aaron strongly supports school choice as well and publishes articles in the Milwaukee El Conquistador Newspaper run by Victor Huyke, who gave a small campaign contribution to Governor Scott Walker (R), according to Walker’s campaign donation funding information with the state election board.
Rodriguez campaign treasurer is Ivan Gamboa, Vice President of Tri-City National Bank. Gamboa is also the Hispanics for School Choice Board Treasurer and Aaron Rodriguez is the Board Secretary.
Rodriguez will face Elizabeth Coppola (D) in the November 19th general election.
The winner will replace outgoing Mark Honadel (R) of South Milwaukee who announced in August that he would not run for reelection.
The 21st Assembly District is predominantly Republican, which includes Oak Creek, Franklin and South Milwaukee.

Some posted comments in the Republican Party of WI FB included, “she is legal right ? NO AMNESTY! what kind of republican ? we need more tea parties…,” posted by George Broughton.
“I heard she’s against gun rights, is that true?,” posted Rick Zingsheim
“She must be very confused! Hispanics are suppose to be in the Dumbocrats left, rear pocket!!!!!,” Don Gutz
“It’s okay the mention that she is the first Hispanic Republican Woman when it is history, after that, to keep bringing it up is where it becomes a problem.,” posted Maggie Brieske
“…..funny how 2nd generation hispanic suddenly become gop…nationwide….— from So. Calif,,,,,but it is no joke as they have a nationalistic agenga and Im a Roman Catholic….they are. not playing…. drugs alone tells you this they got rid of. the cubans AND the columbians. controlling the flow of poison into our nation …Signed. Daniel Carroll , Sunset Beach, CA,,,, Ps pretty soon. press1 for spanish and press2 for English…,” posted by Daniel G. Carroll
“”…the first Hispanic Republican Woman…” Hmmmmmmm, interesting choice of words Republican Party- seeing as how any mention of Obama being the first Black President is a terrible thing!!!! Hypocrites.,” posted Jerome Hirschbaum.

Yesenia Eldermira Rodriguez, aka, “Jessie Rodriguez”

Photo: Facebook

Police Breakup Indoor Brawl Between Teens At Local Latino Family Expo Event

Police prevented a brawl from escalating between teens at the Third Annual Latino Expo event.

By H. Nelson Goodson
October 27, 2013

Milwaukee, WI – On Saturday, a brawl around 4:00 p.m. involving a brief physical contact and yelling between teens ended up with no police arrests or citations, according to an exhibitor that witnessed the brawl at this year’s Latino Family Expo event. The brawl happened near the food court that also involved parents, which a police officer at the event intervene, including the sponsor of the event.
The teens and parents involved were not arrested or cited and allowed to remain at the event.
Exhibitors reported low attendance for the last two days. The Third Annual Latino Family Expo ends Sunday.

Photos of the Latino Family Expo event taken in early afternoon on Sunday.

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latino family expo